A Practical Guide to Marketing Your Web Site

A Practical Guide to Marketing Your Web Site

By Benjamin Train

Introduction

This practical summary guide is intended to assist the new and intermediate Web site developer and small business owner in developing a presence on the Web and generating a relevant position in search engines and directories.

In This Article...

Directories and Search Engines
How to get listed
Paid Listings
How to monitor
Before you begin
Site Ranking
Link and Content Trading
Now You are Ready

What is the difference between a directory and a search engine?

Search engines use packets of automated search code called 'spiders', 'crawlers', 'bots' or 'robots' to go out on the Internet and collect Internet Web site data for indexing. The algorithms that the search bots are made from determine what will be listed, and how it will be rated. Link popularity plays a significant role in the ranking algorithm of major search engines.

Search Engines and Directories are selective. If you think of all the Web sites on the Internet as a vast universe of content; in different forms, in every language, and location; then search engines and directories are the librarians. Much of the Internet content is not indexed. However, there are more than 2.5 billion Web Pages on the Internet containing more than 21 Terabytes of information, with more than 7.3 million new web sites being added each day.

A Directory uses people to search through a suggested web site and catalog them. Yahoo.com is a directory and a search engine. They employ a team of people to go through every site submitted to be listed in their database. Yahoo began as a free directory, but now is a paid service. Yahoo has also developed a search engine and Web index that today, competes with Google.com.

How to get listed in Search Engines:

Unless you tell the search engine or directory about your site, they will have a hard time finding you. There are several ways to get listed in search engines. However, today many search engines and directories have moved to a paid listing service.

Visit each search engine and directory, and register your site:

On each search site there is a link, typically named; 'Add URL', 'Suggest A Site', 'Add Page', etc. Click through and follow the instructions. This method takes the most time but often allows you to be most specific about where your listing should be indexed. Always submit hosted URL's to search engines. Never submit a forwarded, redirected URL.

There are some free online web-based services that will help you register your site in various search engines. For example; http://www.addme.com/ and others. Submitting your website to selectively chosen search engines and directories can increase the probability that your site will be visited. Avoid FFA or free-for-all links sites. Be aware that many of the site submission services may say they can submit your listing to over 1,000 sites, however, many may be multi-level marketing sites, or non-rated free link pages, or even spam list collection sites.

Paid search engine and directory listings:

Paid search engine and directory listings are an option that should be considered by site owners who wish to quickly build visibility. Many search firms ask you to "bid" on keywords. You agree to pay a certain amount each time someone clicks on your listing. The more you are willing to "pay-per-click", the higher you will be listed when a search is conducted using your chosen keywords. http://www.overture.com/ introduced paid listings in 2001. Today, Overture's paid listings appear in many search engine results. Google also introduced a paid listing service called Google AdWords

You can pay a professional marketing service to help you market your site. You can buy special software that will submit your site to various search engines and directories. You can also use a paid automated submission service like NetMechanic.com to submit your site and generate reports.

It takes a considerable amount of time, effort and diligence to be effective at listing your site at the majority of search engines and directories. The more years your site has had on the Internet, the easier it becomes. If you really want to be successful marketing your Web site, you need to have realistic expectations and a very long attention span.

When first starting out, use a disciplined approach, it will prove effective in the long run. To begin, select six well-ranked directories that match your sites target audience. See how long it takes, the process involved and result of your efforts. After you are listed in a dozen related link-partner Web sites and a dozen recognized directories, then begin submitting your site to search engines.

How to monitor how many pages are indexed:

To monitor a Search Engine's listing or updates, visit the search engine site and type in: "site:your domain name". You'll see your indexed listings, and how many are "cached". When conducting a general search inquiry, always place "search terms" inside quote symbols. It may take more than a week for the Googlebot spider to show up at your site. Google offers Web Alerts to help you monitor updates. You will automatically receive an email when new information is listed on Google.

Resubmit after any site updates:

It is suggested that you resubmit your site to search engines on a monthly bases, or whenever you modify your site content. If you do not, your site may be dropped by some search services. If your content is valuable and worth linking to, you will find several additional sites and search engines linking to it.

Before you begin:
1. I strongly suggested that before you begin submitting your site, that you get a specific email address expressly for the purpose of submitting to Search Engines, Directories and link pages.

2. Make sure your Title, Description and META Tags have been added to the top of each page of your Web site, before you submit your site to any Search Engine.

3. Make sure that your initial content contains 'Keywords' used in the Meta tags. One on the Upper, middle and end of the pages you submit.

4. When you submit your sites home page address; (www.ocnww.com/), add the all important ("/") to the end of your Web address. The slant "/" is followed by the Search Engine crawler to locate the remaining pages on your Web site. If you are only submitting a specific page, then you use the complete URL:

(Example; www.ocnww.com/ocnpages/links_x6.asp )

Title:

Create your sites 5-7 word title; incorporating your sites name and purpose. Work in as many keywords as possible. Search Engines give words in your title the highest relevance. Choosing a good title is critical to your search engine ranking. The length of your title, should be less than 50 characters.

Description:

Perfect your sites meta description. Write and rewrite your sites description until it is right. Your meta description should be less than 150 characters. Perfect a 15-25 word description of your Web site and services, or products and insert it above your META tags on the top of each page of your site. Make sure to include META tag "Keywords" in your description. After your site is listed on search engines and directories, your site description will appear under the search engines link to your site.

META Tags:

When someone conducts a search, search engines and directories match Meta Tag keywords to the sites indexed. Your site should be listed among the first in relevant results, if you have selected the matching keywords. META tags are the 7-12 keywords used by Meta Search Engines to find your content and help index your site. Each keyword you select is followed by a coma. Keywords are important, use them sensibly. Place keywords within content on each page of your Web site. Caution, overuse of keywords may reduce your sites ranking.

Robot Meta Tag:

Make sure the site navigation flows smoothly. While developing your site, make sure it is all accessible; to both people and search engines. When search engines visit your Web site, they should be able to jump from link to link from every page. It should be an inter-connected network, where you can go anywhere from anywhere. The Robot Meta tag tells the robot if it is ok to index 'this' page, or not. It is also used to direct the robot to travel down through 'all' your pages.

Example:

Insert the Title, Description, Meta Tags and Robot Meta Tag, in the section of the HTML document, at the top of every page of your site.

Site Rankings:

Getting listed does not mean that you will necessarily rank well for particular terms. It simply means that the search engine knows your pages exist. Site rankings are determined by how many well-rated links to your site are evident to the Search Engine spiders and site indexers. To be listed in the top 20 search results will take time and may require hundreds of links, and or references to your site, unless you buy a position from each of the Directories, or Search Engines.

Link and Content Trading:

Link trading between Web site owners and linking services help to build popularity. Trading content; like well written articles, will build additional pointers to your site. WebRings, Journalistic Web Logs, or Blogger sites that point to URL's and provide RSS feeds, also help a great deal.

Content Development:

Both visitors and search engines like well-written content. Avoid using graphical tools when building and editing your Web site. I use a simple ASCII text editor for almost all my Web work. A search engine friendly website doesn't need much HTML.

Present clean, well written content to your visitors and search engines without increasing the load time with overley graphical displays, and you will be respected by both your visitors and search engines.

Attract your target audience:

Search engines and supporting third party sites send relevant visitors to your website. Develop your content in support of that mission. If you are selling tents, write and trade articles about tents, outdoor camping adventures and resources. The more content you have that targets your 'keyword' selection the better. If you promote unique page content with very diverse topics relating to your target audience, you will attract site visitors and search engines.

Optimize:

By optimizing your content for your visitor, you also optimize search engine relevance. After you have authored several articles, visit related sites and submit your articles. If they publish your articles, they are, in effect, endorsing and pointing to your site. Agree to publish their links, and articles to return the favor. Through this process, you will improve your site, partner trading sites, and provide a valuable service to your visitors. Along the way, you will also discover newsletters and additional syndicated outlets for your content.

Now you are ready to register:

Now that you are prepared with your site title, description, META tags, content, link trading partners and specific email address, begin the process of registering your site on search engines and directories. Be patient, it will take some search engines 30 days to assign a search to your site. One of the first directories I recommend you submit your site to is the Open Directory Project.

The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive, all volunteer-edited directory on the Internet. The Directory is essential to any site owner. If your site passes their evaluation, your site will be published in their directory. Most of the major search engines and directories include the Open Directory's categorized listing in their search results.

Additionally, I recommend the Yahoo Directory and Zeal.com who's volunteer Directory listings are published throughout the LookSmart Network.It really may pay in the long run to hire a content writer and professional marketing service to write optimized content and promote your Web site. You will find several highly qualified consultants, writers and professional search engine positioning firms at the Online Consultancy Network.

Directory of Search Engines:

To access close to 100 of the World's top-rated search engines, go to the Online Consultancy Network's "Search Engines" page. To learn more about search engines and to read a series of helpful, educational articles about search engines, visit: Search Engine Watch and Search Engine World, a site by Webmasters for Webmasters.

We hope you have found this article useful and that it will be valuable in generating ideas for improving your Web sites visibility on the Internet, and in your business.© Copyright 2001-2005, Benjamin Train. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

This article was written by AIBA Consultant Member Benjamin Train, providing strategic business communications and business management since 1969. He is the Founding Director of the Online Consultancy Network™